{{Short description|American politician (born 1934)}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Joe Eddins | honorific_suffix = | image = File:Joe Eddins portrait.jpg | alt = Joe Eddins. He is older man, wearing glasses, and looking straight at the camera | caption = Eddins in 2004 | state_house = Oklahoma | district = 6th | term_start = 1995 | term_end = 2007 | predecessor = George Vaughn | successor = Chuck Hoskin | pronunciation = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1934|10|7}} | birth_place = Muskogee, Oklahoma, US | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | death_place = | relatives = | education = | alma_mater = University of Oklahoma (B.A.) | occupation = | profession = | known_for = Establishing universal preschool in Oklahoma | committees = | party = Democratic }}
'''Joe T. Eddins''' (born October 7, 1934) is a retired American politician who served as a Democratic representative in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007. Eddins is best known for helping implement universal preschool in a conservative state.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 5, 2025 |title=Pre-K for all in Oklahoma: Sooner is Better |url=https://www.bridgemi.com/talent-education/pre-k-all-oklahoma-sooner-better |access-date=May 10, 2025 |website=Bridge Michigan |language=en}}</ref>
Eddins graduated from the University of Oklahoma, earning a Bachelor of Arts. Before entering the Oklahoma House, he served on the Vinita city council and the Vinita school board. He was a cattleman for 25 years, and taught math and science to high school students.
Eddins first ran for election to the Oklahoma House in 1992, but was unsuccessful. He was elected in 1994, and reelected every two years until he was term-limited in 2006. He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Chuck Hoskin.
== Early life == Joe T. Eddins was born on October 7, 1934, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to Earl and Katherine Eddins.<ref name="okhouse">{{Cite web |title=House District 6 |url=http://www.okhouse.gov/Members/hd6.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041108085226/http://www.okhouse.gov/Members/hd6.htm |archive-date=2004-11-08 |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=okhouse.gov}}</ref><ref name="District 6">{{Cite news |date=August 14, 1994 |title=District 6 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-oklahoman-district-6/172105197/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=The Daily Oklahoman |pages=127 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="Idabel">{{Cite news |last=Hinton |first=Mike |date=1992-09-16 |title=Idabel Incumbent Loses Job in State Senate District 5 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-oklahoman-idabel-incumbent-los/172339039/ |access-date=2025-05-14 |work=The Daily Oklahoman |pages=93 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oklahoma in 1953,<ref name="okhouse" /> and completed some graduate work at Northeastern State University.<ref name="profiled">{{Cite news |date=August 16, 1998 |title=House candidates profiled, questioned |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tulsa-world-house-candidates-profiled-q/172106375/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=Tulsa World |via=Newspapers.com |pages=54}}</ref> He taught high school math and science for seven years,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eddins |first=Joe |date=May 27, 2005 |title=Test scores could shame kids |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-oklahoman-test-scores-could-sh/172100769/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=The Daily Oklahoman |pages=17 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="Cain">{{Cite news |date=July 7, 1994 |title=Bernest Cain Makes Bid for Re-Election |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-oklahoman-bernest-cain-makes-b/172100899/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=The Daily Oklahoman |pages=43 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> and worked as a cattleman for 25 years.<ref name="Cain" />
== Political career == Before his election to the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Eddins served as a city councilman for Vinita, Oklahoma for two years, and was a member of the Vinita school board for three.<ref name="profiled" /> Eddins ran unsuccessfully to represent Oklahoma State House district 6 in 1992, but lost to incumbent George Vaughn in the primary election.<ref name="Idabel" /><ref name="profiled" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 27, 1996 |title=State Representative Candidate Biographies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tulsa-world-state-representative-candida/172066354 |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=Tulsa World |page=20 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Vaughn retired before the 1994 Oklahoma House election, and Eddins won the race to succeed him with 52.3% of the general election vote.<ref name="Cain" /><ref name="First election">{{Cite news |date=November 10, 1994 |title=State House |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-oklahoman-joe-eddins-result/172070122/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=The Daily Oklahoman |page=20 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He served in the legislature from 1995 to 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives |url=https://former.okhouse.gov/Documents/ALLHOUSE-LIST.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250507080918/https://former.okhouse.gov/Documents/ALLHOUSE-LIST.pdf |archive-date=May 7, 2025 |access-date=May 10, 2025 |website=okhouse.gov}}</ref> He was term limited in 2006 and succeeded by Chuck Hoskin.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 7, 2006 |title=Candidate not discouraged |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-oklahoman-candidate-not-discou/172075890/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=The Daily Oklahoman |pages=7 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 8, 2006 |title=State House |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tulsa-world-state-house/172075955/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=Tulsa World |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
===Universal preschool=== State schools in Oklahoma receive funding depending on the number of students enrolled. Due to Oklahoma's declining population, schools were experiencing decreased enrollment numbers, which led to less state funding. To compensate for this loss, some Oklahoma schools were enrolling four-year-olds in kindergarten. Because kindergarten was intended for older children, the four-year-olds were struggling to learn.<ref name="Range">{{Cite web |last=Lerner |first=Sharon |author-link=Sharon Lerner |date=December 4, 2012 |title=Pre-K on the Range |url=https://prospect.org/education/pre-k-range/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116063224/https://prospect.org/education/pre-k-range/ |archive-date=November 16, 2019 |access-date=May 10, 2025 |website=The American Prospect |language=en-us}}</ref>
Eddins introduced legislation in 1998 to resolve this issue. He advertised his bill as preventing four year olds from enrolling in kindergarten, which it did. But he was relatively quiet about how it accomplished this objective: by funding schools to establish optional preschool for four year olds. It also gave school districts the ability to house preschool programs in different locations, such as "tribal programs, churches, and assisted-living facilities".<ref name="Range" /> It allowed contracting with the private sector, which won support from Republicans.<ref name="Range" />
Enrollment is optional.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gormley |first=William T. Jr. |author-link=William T. Gormley |title=The Universal Pre-K Bandwagon |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20441978 |journal=The Phi Delta Kappan |volume=87 |issue=3 |pages=247 |issn=0031-7217 |date=November 2005 |doi=10.1177/003172170508700319 |access-date=May 10, 2025 |jstor=20441978}}</ref> As of the 2016–2017 school year, 73% of four-year-olds in Oklahoma participate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Table 5.10. Percent and number of children enrolled in state prekindergarten programs, by state: 2016–17 |url=https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_10.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250329005550/https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_10.asp |archive-date=March 29, 2025 |access-date=May 11, 2025 |publisher=National Center for Education Statistics |language=EN}}</ref>
==Personal life== Eddins has three sons with his wife, Suzanne.<ref name="Cain" />
==Election results== {{Election box begin no change | title = Oklahoma's 6th House district Democratic primary, 1992<ref name="Idabel" /> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | candidate = George Vaughn (incumbent) | party = Democratic Party (US) | votes = 3,811 | percentage = 54.1% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Joe Eddins | party = Democratic Party (US) | votes = 3,232 | percentage = 45.9% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 7,043 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=Oklahoma's 6th House district, 1994<ref name="First election" /> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Joe Eddins |votes = 5,494 |percentage = 52.3 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Mike Roark |votes = 5,004 |percentage = 47.7 }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 10,498 | percentage = 100 }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=Oklahoma's 6th House district, 1996<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 6, 1996 |title=State Legislature: House |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tulsa-world-state-legislature-house/172071310/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=Tulsa World |page=6 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Joe Eddins (incumbent) |votes = 6,915 |percentage = 52.6 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Jay Franklin |votes = 6,235 |percentage = 47.4 }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 13,150 | percentage = 100 }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=Oklahoma's 6th House district, 1998<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 4, 1998 |title=State Results: State House |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tulsa-world-state-results-state-house/172075527/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=Tulsa World |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Joe Eddins (incumbent) |votes = 6,439 |percentage = 64.6 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Wayne Jolly |votes = 3,532 |percentage = 35.4 }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 9,971 | percentage = 100 }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=Oklahoma's 6th House district, 2000<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 9, 2000 |title=Oklahoma: House |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tulsa-world-oklahoma-house/172075617/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=Tulsa World |page=7 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Joe Eddins (incumbent) |votes = 8,675 |percentage = 61.2 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Jim Dembowski |votes = 5,508 |percentage = 38.8 }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 14,183 | percentage = 100 }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=Oklahoma's 6th House district, 2002<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 6, 2002 |title=State Legislature: House |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tulsa-world-state-legislature-house/172075737/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=Tulsa World |pages=8 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Joe Eddins (incumbent) |votes = 6,614 |percentage = 61.9 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Chris Moore |votes = 4,070 |percentage = 38.1 }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 10,684 | percentage = 100 }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=Oklahoma's 6th House district, 2004<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 3, 2004 |title=State House |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tulsa-world-state-house/172075817/ |access-date=May 10, 2025 |work=Tulsa World |pages=9 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> }} {{Election box unopposed candidate with party link no change |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Joe Eddins (incumbent) |percentage = }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eddins, Joe}} Category:Living people Category:Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Category:20th-century members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Category:21st-century members of the Oklahoma Legislature Category:American cattlemen Category:20th-century American educators Category:University of Oklahoma alumni Category:Politicians from Muskogee, Oklahoma Category:1934 births